Player actuated chance game device



NOV. 18, 1969 M, GLASS ET AL 3,479,035

PLAYER ACTUA'I'ED CHANGE GAME'DEVICE Filed Feb. 24, 1966 2 Sneo-Ls-Sheetl NOV. 18, 1969 M, GLASS ET AL AYER ACTUTED CHANCE GAME DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 24, 1966 United States Patent U.S. Cl. 273-1381 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Game apparatus comprising athree-dimensional board having an upper playing surface supporting amova'bly mpunted figure which is surrounded by a plurality of openings,playing pieces including portions adapted to be inserted in theopenings, and mechanism beneath the playing surface which provides formovement of the figure, by chance, as a playing piece is inserted in theopenings. The chance mechanism includes a rotatable member having armsdisposed for movement through a path underlying the openings andsupported for tilting movement as a playing piece strikes one of thearms. The tilting of the rotatable member trips latch mechanism tooperate a sound device and effect movement of said figure on the playingsurface.

The present invention relates to games, and is particularly directed toa game comprising a board including a mechanical chance device which israndomly operable as peg-like markers are moved along a path defined byopenings in the board, in accordance with the directions of anaccompanying deck of cards. rIhe game is illustiated in a form which isespecially appropriate to a group of girls, with the mechanical deviceincorporating asleeping baby which is to be attended :by the players.The illustrated embodiment is in the form of a game in which the commonactivity of baby sitting is simulated, the object of the game being toperform as many related tasks as possible without waking the baby. Thegirls receive token money for successfully performing these tasks, andthe game continues until the money has all been distributed, whereuponthe play ends and the girl having the most money wins the game. Theextra tasks are performed on or in cooperation with the chance deviceand whether the performance of any of the tasks will wake the baby isentirely unpredictable.

t It is the primary object of the invention to provide game apparatuswherein an action is produced at random by insertion of a peg in theboard. Another object is to provide game apparatus including apositively rotatable element underlying a board having openings therein,which element is cooperable with an action and sound producing mechanismto operate the latter when a peg is inserted in one of said openings andengages said rotatable element.

More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a gamewhich includes a simulated sleeping baby, and which also includes aplaying board having a plurality of holes identified in various ways asfor example cover baby with blanket, change babys diaper, wash thedishes, turn on the TV set, etc., and each of the players is providedwith a peg which when inserted in a hole may trip the mechanism andcause the baby to sit up and emit a crying sound.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent "from the followingdescription of the selected embodiment shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of the device according to the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the device taken onthe line 2-2 of FIGURE 1;

3,479,035 Patented Nov. 18, 1969 ice FIGURE 3 is a view of the devicesimilar to FIGURE 2-iwith the parts in a different position;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the device taken on the line4-4 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary, plan view of certain reset mechanismindicated in FIGURES l to 3;

FIGURE 6 is an elevation of one of the playing or instruction cards;

FIGURE 7 is a similar view of a different card; and

lFIGURE 8 is an elevation of one of the money tokens.

Generally, the illustrated form of theinvention comprises a game forgirls which simulates many of the tasks performed by babysitters. Thecenter of the threedimensional board includes the figure of a sleepingbaby and surrounding such ligure are a number of stations or paths, dened by openings in the top of the board, which are associated with anappropriately illustrated task such as nchange babys diaper, wash thedishes etc. Through means of instruction on a deck of playing cards,each player in turn has the opportunity of performing a task byinserting her playing peg in a particular hole or holes. If the pegstrikes an underlying, randomly rotatable element, the baby awakes andemits a cry, and the player forfeits the pay otherwise due her.

More particularly, the cards are made, each with a note of instructionsand preferably a picture thereon depicting a typical task which a babysitter might be asked or might volunteer to perform while sitting Thegame might be played in various ways, but typically, each girl is issueda peg of a distinctive color, the cards are dealt three to a player, theremaining cards being placed face down on the table, and the playerstake turns baby sitting. During her turn each player tries to performspecific tasks without waking the baby. She draws a card from the deckor supply pile on the table and may choose one of the tasks depicted onthe four cards which she now holds, matching the chosen card with one ofthe holes similarly identified on the playing board. She must theninsert her peg in that hole as far as it will go. If the baby does notawaken, or in other words, if the mechanism is not tripped, she maycollect a 25 cent token. She may continue and pick a second task if shewishes, and if this does not wake the baby she may collect a 50 centtoken. A third task successfully performed will net $1.00 token. Eachtime a task is performed the corresponding card is placed in a discardpile, and a different card is taken from the supply on the table, sothat each player nominally holds four cards at all times when choosingher task. The discard pile may be reshufed and used if the supply pileruns out. If one of the tasks wakes the baby, that players turn ends,and she may be required to return any tokens collected during that turnto the bank. The device is then reset, and the turn passes to the nextplayer. As will be apparent, different modes of using the cards andchance device might be devised and used without departing from theinvention.

The players will be disposed about the game board, which comprises abase 10 having a raised portion 12 which supports a miniature crib orbabys bed having a frame 14 and a simulated mattress portion 16. Thehead and upper part of the torso 18 of a doll representing the baby aresupported on a pivot pin 20, which is in turn supported in a pair ofbearing brackets 22 fixed on the upper surface of matress 16. Pin 20 islocated in the lower region of the dolls body and the remainder of thebody is uncompleted, since pivot pin 20 and its associated parts willalways be hidden by the bed covers. Body 18 may therefore be swung upand down about pin 20 to assume a sitting or a lying position and thisaction is controlled by a reciprocating element generally designated as24.

Assuming the baby is in a sitting position, as seen in FIGURE 2, to setthe device, body 18 is forced to a lying position as seen in FIGURE 3.As this is done a finger 26, xed on and extending downwardly andrearwardly from body 18 in the FIGURE 2 position, presses against Ianabutment or thrust block 28 projecting upwardly from and fixed onreciprocating element 24. The latter is thereby forced toward the rightas seen in FIG- URES 2 to 4. Ay pawl 30 is pivotally supported on a pin32 carried by element 24, and upon sufiicient movement to the right ofelement 24 the pawl encounters an upper wall of floor portion 34 ofraised portion 12. Continued movement to the right causes floor portion34 to swing pawl 30 upwardly about pin 32, and through gravity itbecomes engaged in a notch 36 so as to lock element 24 in positionagainst the pull of an actuating spring 38 positioned in tension betweenan upwardly directed guide bracket 39 and a portion of a cylinder 40,fixed in relation to base 10, so as to continuously urge element 24toward the left. Spring 38 might equally well be anchored to any otherfixed portion of mattress 16 or raised portion 12, as convenient. Aswill be apparent, if pawl 30 'is released from notch 36, the action willbe reversed. That is to say that element 24 will be shifted toward theleft, and finger 26, in contact with thrust block 28, will swing body 18to an upright or sitting position. During this action, element 24 willbe guided in its movement by sliding along fioor portion 34 and bycontact of guide bracket 39 with the upper wall 41 of mattress portion16, and also by interaction of finger 26 with a slot 42 in reciprocatingelement 24.

The action is controlled by a piston portion 43 fixed on element 24, andwhich is freely slidable in cylinder 40 but substantially fluid-tighttherein so that the movement of the piston is prevented by air trappedin the cylinder, except as the air escapes in a controlled mannerthrough a unit 44 which, although not necessarily, preferably'is in theform of a noise maker which will simulate the cry of a baby as the airescapes. Thus the body will sit up and cry in a somewhat natural mannerwhen pawl 30 is released. The pawl is released according to the fortunesof the game by a chance mechanism which will now be described.

The upper wall or floor 48 of base 10 provides a series of downwardlyopen sockets or holes 50 communicating with the interior of base 10, andinto which pegs 52 are insertable. These pegs may be embellished withthe figures of small girls 54, and are preferably of different colors sothat they may lbe identified with the different players. Peg 52 is of alength to contact and depress an arm 56 of a trigger element generallydesignated as 58, and which element has a plurality of other arms 60,64, 66 and 68, all extending substantially radially outwardly from acenter or hub portion 70, as best seen in FIGURE 4. Arms 56 and 60 to 68inclusive, are irregularly spaced about hub 70 but preferably are solocated that, when one arm is placed squarely beneath one of the holesS0, the remaining arms will each be squarely beneath one of the otherholes. Trigger element S8 is mounted to tilt in all directions, and forthis purpose is supported on a pivot pin 72 fixed to hub portion 70 androckably seated in a socket 74 fixed on the floor or lower wall 76 ofbase 10 within the path outlined by the holes 50.

As best seen in FIGURES 2 'and 3, hub portion 70 has an upward extension78 including an upwardly directed depression or seat 80, in which isseated a complimentary head portion 86 fixed on raised portion 12beneath pawl 30 when the latter is latched in the position shown inFIGURE 3. A spring 88 normally urges head 82 into seat 80 and therebyyieldably maintains trigger element 58 in a generally horizontalposition. However, when `one of the arms, as 56 in FIGURE 2, isdepressed by peg 5.2, head 82 is raised by the camng action of theresulting sideward movement of socket 80, compressing spring 88. Thismovement also raises trip pin 84 and dislodges pawl 30 from socket 36whereupon reciprocating element 24 shifts to the left and raises body18, as hereinbefore described. Thus the baby has been awakened by theinsertion of peg 52, or in the terms of the game, by the performance ofthe task assigned to the particular hole 50` in which peg 52 isinserted.

Since there are many more holes 50 than there are arms on trigger unit58, the chances are greatest that there will be no arm 4beneath anyselected hole in which peg 52 is inserted, and owing to the irregulardistribution of the arms it is hardly possible to figure out which holesare free by observing anything which may have happened previously.Furthermore, the location of the arms beneath the holes may be changedat will, and this would be done preferably as often as once for eachplayers turn.

For this purpose hub portion 70 is provided with gear teeth to form thelower portion of it into gear wheel (FIGURE 5). A gear segment 92 isfixed on a lever arm 94, the latter being pivoted on a fulcrum 96 fixedon fioor portion 76 so as to be swingable by means of a projectinghandle portion 98, so that manipulation of handle 98 will swing segment92 into engagement with gear wheel 90 and cause rotation of the latter.Such rotation moves trigger element 58 to change the location of theseveral arms 56, 68 etc. A detent head 100 is supported on a resilientshank portion 102 fixed on oor portion 76, so as to press against gearwheel 90 and penetrate slightly between the teeth thereof to effect anaccompanying sound and also slow and stop the rotation in a reasonablyshort time. Preferably, the number of teeth on gear 90` corresponds withthe number of holes 50, and the engagement of head in the spaces betweenthe teeth will insure that trigger element 58 will stop rotating withthe arms 56, 64 etc. disposed beneath certain holes 50 virtually at alltimes, and not with the arms beneath imperforate portions of floor 48between the holes.

A spring is connected to handle portion 98 and anchored to a bracket 106fixed on floor 7 6, 'and acts to return lever arm 94 to its startingposition after each use. Such motion will cause reverse rotation oftrigger element 58, which will still further confuse any attempt toestimate the position of the arms.

As seen in FIGURE 6, the cards 108 may have pictures suggesting thetasks which they represent, as well 4as legends directing the operationsin words. Some of the cards, as 110, may have legends requiring avariation in procedure to make the game more complicated, and thereforemore interesting. A token 112 representing $2.00 is shown in FIGURE 8,and it is to be understood that a substantial number of such tokens ofvarious values would be part of the outfit.

In summary, the operation of the invention includes putting the baby tobed by pressing body 18 to a lying position, which shifts reciprocableelement 24 toward the right, where it becomes latched by engagement ofpawl 30 with notch 36. Handle 98 is then actuated to spin triggerelement 58, and instruction cards 108 are dealt to the various players.The first player then draws a card from the supply pile on the table,chooses a task from the instruction cards which :she holds, matches itwith one of the holes 50, and places her peg in that hole. lf arms 56etc. are so placed that none of them is contacted by the players peg,she collects a 25 cent fee for completing that task, and then she maychoose another task or stand on her good fortune and pass to the nextplayer. If one of the arms as 56 is contacted, trigger element 58 istilted, head 82 and pin 84 are raised, disengaging pawl 30 and allowingspring 38 to lshift reciprocable element 24 to the left. This movementexpels air through noise maker 44, producing a crying sound, and at thesame time actuates finger 26 to swing body 18 into an upright or sittingposition. The baby is awakened, and the player must sacrifice any moneyshe has won during that particular turn. The resistance of the airtrapped in cylinder 40 to movement of position 43 slows the movement ofelement 24 so that the action of the baby in sitting up is natural, andnot too abrupt.

Handle 98 may be actuated after each turn, or after each task, and theparticular rules in use may specify, and certain cards, if drawn, mayinvoke special penalties, as card 110 for example, which requires theplayer to miss her turn.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specificdevice, modifications may occur to those skilled in the art, and whichcould be made in the game or the apparatus without departing from theprinciples thereof. Further, it should be understood that the describedmanner of playing the game with the illustrated apparatus is simply rbyway of example, and that other forms of play might be devised.

What is claimed is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a three-dimensional playing board includinga lower supporting wall surface and an upper playing surface withopenings therein, a figure pivotally mounted on said playing surface forvertical swinging movement, a plurality of markers adapted to beinserted in and project through said openings, and mechanically operablemeans underlying said playing surface and providing a chance device foreffecting movement of said figure from a reclining position to anupright position upon insertion of a marker in one of said openings,said chance device means comprising a member mounted on said lower wallfor rotation about a generally vertical axis and for tilting movementrelative to said vertical axis, said member including a hub portion anda plurality of radially extending arms disposed for movement through apath underlying the openings in said 3 playing surface, a sound makingdevice between said playing surface and lower Wall and including amovable part, spring-biased latch mechanism interconnecting saidpivotally mounted figure, said lrotatable chance device member and saidmovable sound-making part so as to normally hold said ligure in itsreclining position, maintain said rotatable member in position on itsvertical axis and to position said sound making part in` readiness foroperation to produce a sound, said latch mechanism, ligure, androtatable mem-ber being thereby disposed so that insertion of one ofsaid markers through an opening overlying one of said arms and intoengagement with the latter causes tilting of said rotatable member andrelease of said latch mechanism, to thereby cause said figure to risefrom said playing surface to the accompaniment of a sound produced bysaid sound making device, said hub portion of said rotatable memberincluding a toothed peripheral portion, and a lever pivotally mounted onsaid lower supporting wall with one end portion projecting outwardly ofthe playing board and the,- other end provided with an arcuately toothedportion in position for engagement with said toothed portion of the hubto effect rotation of said member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,479,774 1/ 1924 Steinmetz.

2,408,687 10/ 1946 Sanchez 273-138 3,169,768 2/1965 Glass et al.273--139 X FOREIGN PATENTS 440,080 1/ 1927 Germany.

ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner A. W. KRAMER, Assistant Examiner

